Verdant Veggie Pesto Pizza

If you like a very veggie-filled pizza, this one’s for you, piled generously with broccoli, bell pepper, and zucchini. And in place of the usual tomato sauce, this one features a delectable spinach-miso pesto as the base. Adapted from Vegan Expressby Nava Atlas. Photos by Rachael Braun.

Makes: 6 slices

Spinach-miso pesto:

4 to 5 ounces fresh baby spinach

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup untoasted walnuts or raw cashews

2 scallions, green parts only

1 to 2 tablespoons miso, preferably mellow white, to taste -

1 1/2 cups small broccoli florets

1 medium green bell pepper, cut into narrow, short strips

3/4 cup thinly sliced rounds from a small zucchini

1 to 2 medium tomatoes,

3 to 4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

One 12- to 14-inch good-quality pizza crust

1 1/2 cups mozzarella-style nondairy cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor. Process until smoothly pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides as needed.

Combine the broccoli florets, bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic in a mixing bowl and drizzle in the olive oil. Stir together. Transfer the vegetables to a lightly oiled roasting pan and put in the oven. Stir after 10 minutes, and continue to roast until the vegetables are touched with brown spots here and there.

Meanwhile, spread the pesto on the pizza crust, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted. Remove from the oven, let stand for a minute, then cut into 6 wedges (it’s easier to cut the pizza before piling on the veggies).

When the vegetables are done, distribute them evenly over the surface of the pizza. If the pizza came out of the oven a few minutes before the vegetables, put the whole thing back into the oven for a couple of minutes, just so that everything can be piping hot, then serve at once.